Memorable Quotes

MEMORABLE QUOTES from the 2013 FORUM

William Burns, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State:

“Now some may ask why the United States is so invested in strengthening its relationship with New Zealand during a time of global economic crisis, a Middle East in tumult, looming nuclear dangers, accelerating climate change, and international terrorism. The simple answer is that there is no more dynamic and consequential part of the world today — and in the decades ahead — for America’s interests and for the shape of the global system, than the Asia-Pacific.”

Murray McCully, NZ Minister of Foreign Affairs:

“We live in a different world in 2013 [than we did 30 years ago]. Formal relations between our two countries are excellent. We have found a new normal.”

Tim Groser, NZ Minister of Trade and Climate Change:

“I’m confident that we can achieve [TPP]. We do not need another second-rate FTA. New Zealand has a wonderful platform to advance its strategic interests – through China, through Asia, and the other emerging economies. TPP offers something different.”

Robert Hormats, U.S. Under Secretary of State:

“New Zealand and the United States both believe in energetic engagement by the private sector. We welcome the strong, robust, full-throated private sector role in this bilateral relationship.”

Alan Bersin, U.S. Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security:

“When [New Zealand] hosted the Rugby World Cup… our two countries put in place a security system that shared and compared U.S. and NZ databases. The United States had never done this with any other country. …[I]t was and remains the only routinized instance we have in the world, among the greatest of friends, that actually shares information that way. We intend to continue to pioneer these kinds of things…”

Plenary Panel on TPP and Business:

“[W]hen I speak to members of the business community, they will often talk about tariffs – but that’s not what’s ‘next.’ What’s next is simplifying supply chains.” – Calman Cohen, Emergency Committee for American Trade

“Of the seven billion people on the planet, two billion are connected to the Internet. That means five billion more people will become connected in the next few years. We have an unprecedented opportunity to modernize trade policy to reflect the economic engine of the Internet.” – Johanna Shelton, Google

“We’ve got to decide whether success is defined as getting more countries to join [TPP] or as getting something done. …Also, the pooling of young, high-skilled human capital – or talent – is inevitably going to become a more regionalized and global phenomena.” – Simon Power, Westpac Bank

“I met with three of the largest dairy companies in Japan while I was there recently… and the conversation was not about if there will be a TPP; it was about when.” – John Wilson, Fonterra

“This is not your father’s Japan. This is a Japan that knows that [TPP] is… the last chance to regain the status and the momentum for growth that Japan desperately needs.” – Tami Overby, U.S. Chamber of Commerce

Plenary Panel on Security and Foreign Policy:

“The [United States] doesn’t want just another [symbolic] flag on the desk; it can get that from any other country. The U.S. actually requires New Zealand to be a country that can compete; we need to be able to manage all the issues in our region.” – Lt. General Rhys Jones, NZ Defence Force

“…[I]t is inconceivable that we wouldn’t act as ‘allies’ in the event that one of us were really in need, and in need of the other, so I do use that term.” – Randy Schriver, Armitage International

“One of the striking things… is that, even as we talk about 21st century issues, right now when you look around the world, a lot of very traditional 19th and 20th century geopolitical issues are still at the front of the agenda.” – Stanley Roth, The Boeing Company

“We still have a gap on the nuclear issue. What we’ve done is not to let it be an obstacle to working together. But it’s still around and it will just be a fact of life. We can accept differences in this kind of an area…” – Vikram J. Singh, U.S. Department of Defense

Former USTRs Panel:

“TTP is the ultimate coalition of the willing. [T]his is a group of countries that wants to negotiate the highest common-denominator trade agreement. It should be doable. If this group can’t get it done, one has to wonder whether anything is doable.” – Ambassador Susan Schwab

“If Congress believes that the prospects [for TPP] are large, it will be more apt to give the president trade promotion authority. But if you finish the trade negotiation first, then all the special interests will try to gnaw away at [TPP] and it will be harder to get trade promotion authority. Now is the window.” – Ambassador Carla Hills

“All of these agreements – and fast track [trade promotion authority] too – require presidential leadership. They will not happen without presidential leadership. None of these deals will happen without presidential leadership. That’s the lesson all of us learned, all of us faced, and all of us had to deal with…” – Ambassador Charlene Barshefsky

“We cannot have a single undertaking anymore in trade negotiations at the WTO, where one country can torpedo the negotiation process. I think our challenge then as multi-lateralists is to multi-lateralize [all the agreements].” – Ambassador Clayton Yeutter

“If you’re worried about what comes next, forget it. Nothing’s going to come next if we don’t do [TPP]. It’s going to set a series of commitments. We can have a TPP agreement, but we had better start moving. This country does not have a trade policy. It needs it. The world very much needs it.” – Ambassador William Brock

“If this administration is not quietly and without fanfare and without publicity talking to China about [TPP], they are making a big mistake. China and the United States have to look at what is going to happen if we each have a proliferation of trade agreements, but we don’t come together.” – Ambassador Mickey Kantor

Robert Zoellick, former World Bank President:

“The area that I’m most worried about is cyber-security. The commercial cyber piracy and sabotage issues are ones that I don’t think any of the countries have a framework to deal with it.”

“China’s one-child policy is going to have huge effect. China is going to grow old before it gets rich. …[O]nly the United States has a chance to reshape the global system.”

“The story of New Zealand and the United States is the story of two open societies. Hilary Clinton has said that … in the 21st century, the great divisions and the great questions will not be between east and west, or north and south, or different religions – but rather it will be between open and closed societies.”